Military personnel in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Military personnel was 257,000 people in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2022)
257,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
19th
of 194 countries
All-time high
257,000 people
in 2021
All-time low
4,000 people
in 1927
Years of data
96
1927–2022
Military personnel in Saudi Arabia, 1927–2022
Source: Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military personnel in Saudi Arabia is 257,000 people, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 96 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Saudi Arabia peaked at 257,000 people in 2021 and was at its lowest, 4,000 people, in 1927.
Saudi Arabia ranks 19th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military personnel in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1927 | 4,000 people | — |
| 1928 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 4,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 5,000 people | +25.0% |
| 1950 | 6,000 people | +20.0% |
| 1951 | 7,000 people | +16.7% |
| 1952 | 8,000 people | +14.3% |
| 1953 | 9,000 people | +12.5% |
| 1954 | 34,000 people | +277.8% |
| 1955 | 33,000 people | -2.9% |
| 1956 | 32,000 people | -3.0% |
| 1957 | 31,000 people | -3.1% |
| 1958 | 30,000 people | -3.2% |
| 1959 | 30,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 30,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 35,000 people | +16.7% |
| 1962 | 37,000 people | +5.7% |
| 1963 | 35,000 people | -5.4% |
| 1964 | 40,000 people | +14.3% |
| 1965 | 40,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 45,000 people | +12.5% |
| 1967 | 50,000 people | +11.1% |
| 1968 | 60,000 people | +20.0% |
| 1969 | 60,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 65,000 people | +8.3% |
| 1971 | 75,000 people | +15.4% |
| 1972 | 75,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 75,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 75,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 75,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 75,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 75,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 75,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 79,000 people | +5.3% |
| 1980 | 79,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 79,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 80,000 people | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 80,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 80,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 80,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 80,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 80,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 84,000 people | +5.0% |
| 1989 | 82,000 people | -2.4% |
| 1990 | 146,000 people | +78.0% |
| 1991 | 191,000 people | +30.8% |
| 1992 | 172,000 people | -9.9% |
| 1993 | 172,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 164,000 people | -4.7% |
| 1995 | 175,000 people | +6.7% |
| 1996 | 180,000 people | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 180,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 190,000 people | +5.6% |
| 1999 | 190,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 202,000 people | +6.3% |
| 2001 | 201,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 200,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 200,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 200,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 200,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 200,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 225,000 people | +12.5% |
| 2008 | 224,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 222,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 234,000 people | +5.4% |
| 2011 | 234,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 234,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 234,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 234,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 227,000 people | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 227,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 227,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 227,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 227,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 227,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 257,000 people | +13.2% |
| 2022 | 257,000 people | +0.0% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 257,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 18,500 people, 13.9× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 257,000 people is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 91,500 people, 2.8× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 4,000 people | 4,000 people | 4,000 people | 3 |
| 1930s | 4,000 people | 4,000 people | 4,000 people | 10 |
| 1940s | 4,100 people | 4,000 people | 5,000 people | 10 |
| 1950s | 22,000 people | 6,000 people | 34,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 43,200 people | 30,000 people | 60,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 74,400 people | 65,000 people | 79,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 80,400 people | 79,000 people | 84,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 176,000 people | 146,000 people | 191,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 207,400 people | 200,000 people | 225,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 230,500 people | 227,000 people | 234,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 247,000 people | 227,000 people | 257,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More reference data data for Saudi Arabia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1847 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1771 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6194 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2207 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9641 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in Saudi Arabia?
- Military personnel in Saudi Arabia was 257,000 people in 2022, according to Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military personnel recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 257,000 people in 2021.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,000 people in 1927.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for military personnel?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 19th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 96 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Troops under the command of the national government, intended for use against foreign adversaries, and held ready for combat as of January 1 of the given year.